First Day
by Mez
Summary: The children of the Biker Mice are just as wild and adventurous as their parents. But it's hard to protect the ones you love when you haven't finished grade school yet...


**First day **

By Mez

**Disclaimer:** I make no claim to the characters Modo, Throttle, Vinnie, Stoker, Rimfire and Carbine. They are the property of Marvel (probably). All other characters are the product of Tygra's active imagination, and I thank her for allowing me to use them. I am also indebted to Kindra for her assistance! 

_This story takes place a few years after Tygra's story, '_One Mini Adventure_'. The children from the Martian-Earth colony have been sent back to Mars to go to school, while their parents remain on Earth, fighting the plutarkians and protecting the colony. The children are part of a creche, a group of children from related family groups and orphans from the war. Modo's mother Dawn runs the crèche with the help of her granddaughter Primer. The creche is part of a community composed of retired Freedom Fighters and their families._

* * * * *

"Come on, Kou!" yelled Thor, "get a move on! We'll be late!" 

Thor stuck his head around the bedroom door and opened his mouth to bellow at Kou once again. But Kou wasn't there. Perplexed, Thor walked downstairs to the common room, where the rest of the creche were pulling on boots and coats, ready for the trip to school. Kou wasn't with them. Thor heard a clattering from the kitchen and headed in to talk to his grandmother.

Dawn was making tantaberry pies and Thor eyed the pile of berries with delight. Tantaberries were his favourite! The pies would just be out of the oven, nice and hot, when he came home. Dawn was facing the bench, so Thor quietly edged closer to the pile. Just a few berries before school would be great! His hand was over the pile when someone grabbed him from behind and lifted him into the air. He shrieked and giggled as the hands threw him over broad shoulders and tickled him unmercifully. He grabbed the long ponytail of his Uncle Stoker and yanked hard, but that only made the tickling worse. 

"Stealing berries again, rascal?" teased Stoker, bringing him back to eye level. Thor grinned and threw his arms around his uncle's neck.

"Just tasting," he said. 

Dawn laughed and swatted Thor's rump. "Looks like you beat your uncles to them for a change, Thor."

Stoker put on an innocent expression as Rimfire walked in.

"Beat us to what?"

"A tongue-lashing from Carbine," said Stoker, depositing Thor on his feet before grabbing Rimfire by the arm and hauling him bodily out the door, "which is what we'll get if we're even a second later than we already are."

Thor dashed out behind them and waved from the porch as they sped off in a cloud of dust. He sighed. One day HE would have a bike and be a Freedom Fighter, just like his Uncle Rimfire and his Uncle Stoker and his Mum and Dad. They were down on Earth with Uncle Throttle and Uncle Vinnie, fighting the Plutarkians who had gained an even stronger foothold down there. Thor wrinkled his nose. Yucky, stinky plutarkians. He was glad there were none around here now. This was a safe area. Which was why the crèche and the school were here. School!

Thor dashed back through the door and slammed into his cousin Snowflake, who shrieked as she was thrown to the ground. 

"Thor!" chastised his Grandmother. "A gentlemouse does not knock a lady down."

"I didn't mean to gram'ma, and anyway, it wasn't a lady, only Snowflake." Thor ducked out of range of Snowflake's retaliatory strike. His Grandmother was faster though and grabbed him by one ear.

"Now, Thor-" she began, but he interrupted her, hoping to avoid a lecture.

"Gram'ma, I can't find Kou. He's not in his room and he hasn't put his boots and jacket on."

Dawn frowned and looked over the gaggle of kids on the common room. Kou was indeed absent. She released Thor. 

"Finish dressing and make sure the younger children are dressed. I will look for him."

Thor breathed a sigh of relief as she moved away. She had forgotten!

WAP!

"Ouch!"

Snowflake hadn't though, and he rubbed his head where she had swatted him. He grinned at her and moved over to help Tan-tan with his boot laces.

* * * * *

Dawn searched the house thoroughly but couldn't find Kou. Concerned, she called his parents Hera and Zeus, hoping he would be with them. 

"He's not with us, Dawn," said Hera, looking worried. "He went up to the creche this morning right after breakfast. He's been so excited about going to school, it was all we could do to stop him going up at sunrise." Hera was wringing her hands in distress, a feeling Dawn could relate to. 

"I'll have another look. Maybe he's in the bike shed."

Hera nodded. "I'll come up if you don't mind Dawn. In casewell, just in case," she said.

Dawn sighed as she broke the connection. She knew what Hera couldn't bring herself to say. "_In case he has another 'episode'. Poor Kou_." Her anger boiled at the filthy scientists who had brainwashed the little boy, pouring all manner of evil into his head in an attempt to make him kill his own kind. Kou was too young to understand why the violent rages would overcome him, why he felt the need to destroy. And when they were over, he would weep and weep and be morose for days afterwards. Dawn and the other adults in the creche had worked hard to keep the other children from fearing him, to make him feel included in the extended family that they had built in this safe haven.

Dawn smiled as she moved to the bike sheds. This was Modo's dream, but it was herself and Primer, her granddaughter, who ran the creche. Here they gathered all the neglected children, the abused and homeless, that had resulted from the war. Here they gave them love and a safe place to live. Here they gave them family. Everyone here was "brother", no matter whether they knew who their parents were or not. They were all family.

A smash from the house arrested her and she turned swiftly and ran back. She reached the front door just as Hera dashed into the common room from the back of the house. They rushed past the children and up the stairs together. Kou was in the hallway upstairs. He had pulled down one of the pictures on the wall and was stabbing it over and over with a knife, screaming. 

"Kou!" cried Hera. 

Kou looked up and saw his mother. He froze, and the knife clattered onto the picture. His eyes filled with tears. 

"NoI didn't mean to mummy" Kou burst into tears and fled down the hall. Hera and Dawn ran after him. Hera grabbed him and held him to her breast as he sobbed and sobbed. Dawn felt tears in her eyes as she stroked the soft hair. 

"There, there, love, it's alright, I'm not mad, it's ok," Hera murmured a soothing litany to Kou as she rocked the trembling body. 

Dawn left Hera to soothe Kou and went downstairs to check on the rest of the family. A sea of upset faces met her as she came around the corner.

"It's alright children, Kou is alright," she said, reassuring them. "Off you go to school now or you'll be late."

"But what about Kou?" said Thor. "He really wanted to go today. It's his first day gram'ma."

"I know, love. But I think it's best if he stays home today."

"Can I stay with him then?"

"No, love." Dawn smiled at her grandson. "You go on now. You'll be late."

She shuffled the children out the door and onto the road. It was only half a mile to school, and a safe walk. The big boundary fence kept the sandsquids well away from the small community.

Dawn gave one last wave as the children disappeared around the corner. Sighing, she went upstairs to see what progress Hera had made with Kou.

* * * * *

Kou lay on the bed, unmoving. Hera stroked his soft, black hair and spoke to him reassuringly as Dawn came back into the room and knelt down by the bed. 

"Kou baby?" queried Dawn.

Kou didn't reply. His red-rimmed eyes stared straight ahead.

"Kou, talk to me sweetheart. Come on."

Hera watched Dawn take the small, limp, grey-furred hand. The older woman rubbed it as she spoke to Kou in a warm voice.

"Come on sweetie, aren't you going to talk to gram'ma Dawn?"

Kou still lay unmoving, staring into the distance. Hera heard the beep of the com-console downstairs. Dawn nodded to her and went to answer it.

When Dawn had left, Hera lay her cheek on Kou's soft hair and spoke gently to him, holding the limp body close. Tears of anger sprang to her eyes and she raged inside at the heartless beasts who would do such a thing to an innocent child. She tried to reach him with warmth and soft words, but nothing she said provoked any response. Kou lay motionless on the bed, staring silently at nothing.

* * * * *

Thor sighed and scuffed his feet in the dust. He'd been looking forward to showing Kou around the school. He'd spent ages telling him about all the neat things there were to do at school, and the nice teachers. Kou would be upset. Thor sighed again. He'd even got all his homework done early last night so the two of them could plan what they were going to do today.

"Oh no!"

Thor tore off his backpack and dumped the contents on the ground, frantically searching. The other children watched, curious.

"What'd you forget THIS time, Thor?" said Nara exasperatedly. 

"My homework!" wailed Thor. He knew exactly where it was. He'd left it in Dawn's room, on the dresser. He'd been on the way to pick it up this morning when he couldn't find Kou. And he'd forgotten! 

"I have to go back," he said, cramming his books back into the bag.

"You'll be late, Thor!" warned Snowflake.

"And if I don't go back, that's three times this week I haven't brought in my homework. I have to go. If I run, I won't be that late."

Nara opened her mouth to protest but Thor had already dashed off. He ran all the way home, his knapsack bouncing on his back. The house was quiet when he arrived. He sneaked into the common room, breathing hard. Dawn was talking to Hera in the kitchen. Wonderful! Hopefully he could sneak past without being seen. Gram'ma never yelled, but her lectures sure made you feel like you should be trying harder. Thor sneaked quietly upstairs and down the hall to Dawn's room. 


End file.
